Mammad Amin Rasulzade (Azerbaijani: Məhəmməd (Məmməd) Əmin Rəsulzadə/mæhæmˈmæd æˈmin ɾæsulzɑːˈdæ/, Turkish: Mehmet Emin Resulzade,Persian: محمدامین رسول‌زاده‎; born in January 31, 1884, Novxanı, near Baku — died March 6, 1955, Ankara) was an Azerbaijani statesman, scholar, public figure and the first and only president of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (1918–1920). His expression "Bir kərə yüksələn bayraq, bir daha enməz!" ("The flag once raised will never fall!") has become the motto of the independence movement in Azerbaijan in the 20th century.

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Mammad Amin Rasulzade received his education at the Russian-Muslim Secondary School and then at the Technical College in Baku. In his years of study he created "Muslim Youth Organisation Musavat",[1] first secret organisation in Azerbaijan's contemporary history, and beginning from 1903 Rasulzade began writing articles in various opposition newspapers and magazines. At that time, his anti-monarchist platform and his demands for the national autonomy of Azerbaijan, aligned him with Social Democrats and future Communists. In 1904 he founded the first Muslim social-democrat organisation "Hummet" and became editor-in-chief of its newspapers, "Takamul"(1906–1907) and "Yoldash"(1907). Rasulzade also published many articles in non-partisan newspapers such as "Hayat","Irshad" and also "Fuyuzat" journalOCLC50542738. His dramatic play entitled "The Lights in the Darkness" was staged in Baku in 1908.

In 1909, under the persecution from Tsarist authorities, Rasulzade fled Baku to participate in the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911. While in Persia, Rasulzade edited Iran-e Azad newspaper,[5] became one of the founders of Democratic Party of Iran and began publishing its newspaper Iran-e Now[6] which means "New Iran" and which has been described as "the greatest, most important and best known of the Persian newspapers, and the first to appear in the large size usual in Europe".[7] In 1911, Rasulzade also published his book "Saadet-e bashar" ("Happiness of Mankind") in defense of the revolution.

After Russian troops entered Iran in 1911 and, in cooperation with British, assisted Qajar Court to put an end to Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Rasulzade fled to Istanbul, then capital of Ottoman Empire. Here, in the wake of Young Turk Revolution, Rasulzade founded a journal called Türk yurdu (The Land of Turks), in which he published his famous article "İran Türkleri" ("The Iranian Turks").[8]

After the collapse of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in April 1920, Rasulzade left Baku and went into hiding in the mountainous village of Lahij to direct the resistance to Sovietization, but in August 1920, after Soviet Russian army crushed the rebellions of Ganja, Karabakh, Zagatala and Lankaran, led by ex-officers of the Azerbaijani National Army, Rasulzade was arrested and brought to Baku. It was only due to his earlier rescue of Joseph Stalin in 1905, that Rasulzade was released and transferred from Azerbaijan to Russia. For the next two years, Rasulzade worked as the press representative at the Commissariat on Nations in Moscow. He was seconded to Saint Petersburg in 1922 from where he escaped to Finland.

For the rest of his life, Rasulzade lived in exile first in Turkey. However, the 1931 suppression of the emigre publications[citation needed] coincided with Rasulzade's expulsion from Turkey, and some saw it as the result of caving in to Soviet pressure. In reality, the reason went deep into the complex relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Tensions had been growing toward the end of the decade, and by 1930, they had reached a boiling point. In reply to Turkish criticism that the Musavat was neglecting the cause of Turkic unity, Rasulzade published a pamphlet titled O Pantiurkizme v sviazi s kavkazskoi problemoi (О Пантюркизме в связи с кавказской проблемой, Pan-Turkism with regard to the caucasian problem), in which he firmly stated his view: Pan-Turkism was a cultural movement rather than a political program.[15] Thus, he went to Poland in 1938, where he met his wife, Vanda, niece of Polish statesman Józef Piłsudski,[16] then to Romania in 1940. During World War II he went to Berlin and met with Azeri POWs in attempt to encourage them to help Nazi Germany, although the mission proved unsuccessful.[17] Finally, after World War II, he went back to Ankara, Turkey in 1947, where he participated in the politics of the marginal Pan Turkic movement.[18] Due to sensitivity of his presence in either Turkey or Iran, and being often exiled, Rasulzade "cherished bad memories of both Iran and Turkey".[19] In his appeal to Azerbaijani people in 1953 through Voice of America, he stressed his hope that one day it will become independent again.[20] He died in 1955, a broken man according to Thomas Goltz,[18] and was buried in Cebeci Asri cemetery in Ankara.

Rasulzade was commemorated by many memorials throughout Azerbaijan, such as Baku State University, which was named after his honor. Rasulzade was depicted on the obverse of the Azerbaijani 1000 manat banknote of 1993-2006.[21]

Mehmet Emin Resulzade Anatolian High School, named after him, is a public high school at Ankara, Turkey.